Any active member of the State Bar who maintains his or her
principal office for the practice of law within the State Bar district in which
there is a vacancy is eligible to run for a seat on the board. Lawyer members
are elected for three-year terms and will assume their offices at the
conclusion of the 2013 Annual Meeting in October.

Ballots will be mailed April 30 and voting will be completed
by July 1. As it has been doing in recent years, the State Bar will conduct a
hybrid election, offering voters the option of voting electronically or by
mail.

Members are elected for three-year terms and assume office
after the State Bar Annual Meeting in October.

Limited-practice licensing to be discussed

A new working group to explore the idea of limited-practice
licensing in California will hold its first public meeting from 10 a.m. to 1:30
p.m. on Thursday, April 11, at the State Bar’s San Francisco office.

The Limited License Working Group is chaired by Board of Trustees member
Craig Holden and includes board President Patrick M. Kelly and board members
Loren Kieve, Heather Rosing, and David A. Torres. Glenda Corcoran is a
non-voting member of the group.

In January, the State Bar Board of Trustees expressed
interest in looking into whether California should create a limited licensing
program to authorize qualified technicians to help clients with more routine legal matters.

The meeting, on the fourth floor of the bar’s offices at 180
Howard St., is open to the public.

Statewide Ethics Symposium set for April 20

The State Bar of California’s Committee on Professional
Responsibility (COPRAC) will hold its 17th
Annual Statewide Ethics Symposium on Saturday, April 20, at UCLA School of
Law in Los Angeles. The theme of this year’s symposium is “Ethics 2013: Doing
Good, Being Bad, Going Public, Being Sad.” Planned topics include ethical
issues in pro bono representation, civility and the ethical bounds of
aggressive lawyering, media, confidentiality and trial publicity, and lawyer
mobility and law firm breakups. The keynote address will be delivered by Paul W.
Vapnek, the 2013 recipient of the Harry B. Sondheim California Professional
Responsibility Award. The event is approved for six hours of MCLE credit in
legal ethics. Registration is open. For more information contact Lauren McCurdy
at 415-538-2107.

The California Commission on Access to Justice is seeking
nominations of California judges for the 2013 Benjamin Aranda III Access to
Justice Award. The deadline is May 31. The award will be presented by the chief
justice in the fall.

The Aranda award recognizes one California trial judge,
appellate court justice, or commissioner for his or her efforts to improve
access to our judicial system. The recipients have demonstrated a long-term
commitment to equal access to the courts and have done significant work in
improving access to the courts for low and moderate income Californians. The
nomination form and additional information is available
online. Contact Frank Monti,
415-538-2141, for questions or further information.

LA/OC legal aid group seeking board members

The State Bar of California is seeking applications from
attorneys interested in filling vacant positions on the Board of Directors for
Legal Aid Society of Orange County and Community Legal Services in Southeast
Los Angeles County (LASOC/CLS). Applicants must practice or reside in the area
served by LASOC/CLS.

One position is open and one will open in August. The term
of office is three years, with the successful candidate eligible for
re-appointment for an additional term. Deadline for applications is April 30.

Interested attorneys should apply by letter, listing the
reasons they should be appointed. A resume outlining work experience, community
activity and educational background must be included. The materials should be
sent to Sarah Lindsey Chanrasmi, The State Bar of California, Office of Legal
Services, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105. Questions may be directed to Sarah Lindsey Chanrasmi by
email or phone, 415-538-2534.

California Rural Legal Assistance filling board vacancies

The Board of Directors of California Rural Legal Assistance
(CRLA) is recruiting for two vacancies. The State Bar of California is seeking
applications from attorneys interested in serving.

The term of office is two years, with the successful
candidate eligible for re-appointment for two additional terms. Deadline for
applications is April 30.

Interested attorneys should apply by letter, listing the
reasons they should be appointed. A resume outlining work experience, community
activity and educational background must be included. The materials should be
sent to Sarah Lindsey Chanrasmi, The State Bar of California, Office of Legal
Services, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105. Questions may be directed to Sarah Lindsey Chanrasmi by
email or phone, 415-538-2534.

Apply to serve on the JNE
Commission

The State Bar is seeking active members of the bar, former members
of the judiciary and members of the public to serve on the 2014 Commission on
Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE Commission). The application deadline is June 3. The application form and information about the commission are available
from the State Bar’s website or
from the State Bar's Appointments Office, 415-538-2370.

Become a certified specialist

Start the process of becoming a board certified specialist
in California by registering for the next exam administered Oct. 22, 2013.

The California Supreme Court created the specialist program
to increase public protection by identifying attorneys who are specialists in
key areas of law and by encouraging the highest standards of practice in the
profession.

The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization
offers the examination every other year in the following areas of law:
admiralty, appellate, bankruptcy, criminal, estate planning, trust &
probate, family, franchise immigration, legal malpractice, taxation and
workers’ compensation.

Attorneys who have been practicing in the specialty area
since January 2012 or earlier are eligible to register. Register early to
guarantee your preferred test center site in either South San Francisco or
Pasadena. Registration must be received by Sept. 10, 2013.

Distinguish yourself and give clients that extra feeling of
confidence and care that comes from being a board certified specialist. Click here to download an
examination application and to learn more about preparatory materials and
classes.

Significant changes to the law concerning
construction-related disability access claims

Senate
Bill No. 1186, authored by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg
(D-Sacramento) and Senator Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga), made significant
changes to the law, some of which impose State Bar disciplinary consequences on
lawyers. The bill contains an urgency clause, which means it was effective
immediately upon enactment Sept. 19, 2012, but some of its provisions didn’t go
into effect until Jan. 1. The bill includes the following provisions, all of
which govern construction-related disability access claims:

A general prohibition against sending a demand letter that
includes a request or demand for money or an offer or agreement to accept
money, effective immediately

A revision to the existing mandatory written advisory that must
be provided with a demand letter or complaint, effective immediately

A requirement that a lawyer send a copy of a demand letter to the
State Bar and the California Commission on Disability Access, effective Jan. 1.

A requirement that a demand letter sent by a lawyer include the
lawyer’s State Bar license number, effective Jan. 1.

A requirement that a lawyer send a copy of a complaint to the
California Commission on Disability Access, effective Jan. 1.

A requirement that demand letters and complaints contain plain
language sufficient for a recipient business or property owner to determine the
basis of alleged violations, including: specific identification of each access
barrier encountered; the date of the incident; and a description of how each
barrier interfered with full and equal access, effective Jan. 1.

A requirement that a complaint be verified by the plaintiff,
effective Jan. 1. A complaint filed without verification is subject to a
motion to strike

The establishment of procedures for a mandatory evaluation
conference, effective as to claims filed on or after Jan. 1.

Help JNE move to paperless evaluations

The State Bar commission that evaluates the governor’s
candidates for judgeships is seeking the help of attorneys to solicit
information electronically.

For more than 20 years, the Commission on Judicial Nominees
Evaluation, commonly known as the JNE (“Jenny”) Commission, has gathered
information about candidates by mailing paper comment forms to attorneys. Over
the past 18 months, the commission has experimented with the use of email to
gather comments, but has encountered one barrier: the spam filter. While most
of JNE’s emails reach their intended recipients, a significant number are
blocked.

Attorneys can solve this problem by authorizing the spam
filters serving their email address listed with the State Bar to accept the
following email address: mailto:jneccf@calbar.ca.gov.
Those who work in legal offices can help by asking their IT specialists to
authorize the JNE email address for all spam filters serving office computers.

The electronic comment forms are identical to the written
forms. A hyperlink in the email takes the commenter to a website where a form
identical to the written comment form can be completed electronically. The
electronic comments are maintained confidentially, with access only by
investigating commissioners and staff. The use of email appears to result in
response rates at least as high as the use of written forms, and it will save
the State Bar tens of thousands of dollars a year in copying, stationery and
postage costs.

Bar rules book available for e-Reader

To facilitate a lawyer’s ability to readily identify and
address legal ethics issues, the State Bar has published an e-Reader version of
the Rules of Professional Conduct and the State Bar Act. The e-Reader version of
the rule book is compatible with the Kindle Reader App, a free e-Reader
application available for iPads, iPhones, Blackberry phones, Android phones,
Macbooks, and PC laptops. The book also works on all versions of Amazon.com’s
Kindle.

The 2012 edition of the e‑Reader
version of the rule book can be purchased at Amazon.com for $6.99, a
significant discount from the price of the hardcopy book. It offers several
useful features including a search function, bookmarking, highlighting and
annotating. In addition, once downloaded to a tablet, smart phone or other
compatible device, the book can be accessed at any time, even without an
Internet or cellular data signal.

The bar’s rule book has been published for more than 65
years. The 30-page edition published in 1949 has grown to 411 hard copy pages.
In addition to the rules and State Bar Act, the book includes other related
authorities such as selected Rules of Court, code sections, the Federal
Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule, the State Bar Pro Bono Resolution,
the Lawyer Referral Service rules, MCLE rules and more.

Legal ethics and technology resource page is online

The general Ethics
Information page at the State Bar website has an area dedicated to Ethics
and Technology ― a collection of resources that address professional
responsibility issues raised by the use of websites, email, chat rooms and
other technologies. The resources include advisory ethics opinions, articles
and MCLE programs.

Most of the resources are internal links to other pages on
the bar’s website and some are external links to local or specialty bar
associations. The page is organized both by the type of resource (ethics
opinion, article, etc.) and by subject matter (law firm websites, electronic
files, social networking, etc.).

The service focuses on providing basic legal research leads
on how the rules apply to new technologies rather than specific law office
systems, hardware or software options. For the latter, the resources of the
State Bar’s Law
Practice Management & Technology Section can be considered.

Register a law corporation

Law corporations are required to register with both the
California Secretary of State and the State Bar of California under
Corporations Code §13404. Registration requirements are set forth in Business
& Professions Code §§6160 and 6161.

Rules and application materials are available on the State
Bar website. Information required to register a law corporation includes:

Proof of registration with the Secretary of State

Submission of bylaws and a sample share certificate containing
the appropriate restrictions on share ownership

A completed application that reports all the attorneys who are
associated with the corporation

Submission of the Guarantee for Claims in the appropriate amount

A Declaration of Compliance with Rule 1-400

Limited Liability Partnerships providing legal services are
also required to register with the State Bar. If not registered, attorneys
should be particularly aware of California Corporations Code § 16306(f), which
specifically removes the protection from liability for claims based upon legal
work.

Create a surrogacy agreement

An “Agreement to Close Law Practice in the Future” is
available on the State Bar website for attorneys who want to plan for the
possibility they will not be able to continue to work. The sample agreement,
available to all lawyers, spells out the responsibilities of the primary
attorney and his or her successor in the case of death or incapacity.

If a lawyer designates a successor using the new sample
contract, the designated surrogate goes to court for appointment as the
practice administrator who can take control and dispose of the practice. A
lengthy list of duties is part of the contract and includes the ability to open
mail, become a signatory on bank accounts, notify clients and transfer files,
pay bills and handle funds, and accept the original attorney’s clients and
cases. The practice administrator also will have the power to sell the
practice.

Feeling stressed? The Lawyer Assistance Program can help

Attorneys struggling to cope with the stress of a
challenging economic environment or a difficult employment situation are
invited to contact the Lawyer
Assistance Program (LAP), which now offers new support programs in addition
to its traditional help with substance abuse and depression. Support is offered
for issues like stress, relationship and personal problems, grief and anxiety.

The LAP is designed for attorneys who might wish to
participate in a weekly group with other lawyers and would like the support of
a mental health professional (group facilitator) or a trained peer counselor
who is familiar with attorneys’ particular challenges.

The LAP also offers an Orientation and Assessment (O&A)
to any attorney who wants professional assistance to cope with personal
problems, work problems, substance abuse or other mental health issues. The
O&A provides a confidential assessment completed by one of the LAP
clinicians located throughout the state. Referrals to outside resources and an
opportunity to participate in a LAP group for a short period of time also are
provided. There is no fee for this service.

Interested attorneys should call 877 LAP 4 HELP
(877-527-4435) or contact LAP@calbar.ca.gov.
All calls are confidential.

Membership benefits from CalBar Connect

State Bar members can save up to 25 percent every time they
rent with Hertz, a participant in CalBar Connect, the State Bar’s member
services and benefits initiative. Visit the Hertz
page for details.

Opt out of lists

Attorneys who wish to remove their names from lists the
State Bar provides to qualified outside entities may do so by logging on to My State Bar
Profile. Go to “Account Information” and select “Update my mailing
preferences (opt out).”